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Popular American Music-focused Magazine, Rolling Stone has included Grammy Award-winning Nigerian afrobeat artist, Damini Ebuonoluwa Ogulu, better known as Burna Boy and late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti on its list of 200 greatest singers of all time.
The list which was released recently to honour the best vocalist in pop music is an updated version of the Magazine’s 2008 list of 100 greatest singers of all time.
The list was topped by late American singer and songwriter, Aretha Franklin who occupied the number one position, while Nigerian music stars Fela Kuti and Burna Boy were listed at number 188 and 197 respectively.
According to the magazine, the singers were judged based on originality, influence, catalogue depth and the breadth of their legacy.
“In all cases, what mattered most to us was originality, influence, the depth of an artist’s catalogue, and the breadth of their musical legacy. A voice can be gorgeous like Mariah Carey’s, rugged like Toots Hibbert’s, understated like Willie Nelson’s, slippery and sumptuous like D’Angelo’s, or bracing like Bob Dylan’s. But in the end, the singers behind it are here for one reason: They can remake the world just by opening their mouths.” The Magazine said in a statement.
While speaking on the late Fela Kuti who occupied number 188 on the list, the magazine said, “Fela Kuti’s iconic songs of the 1970s and 1980s are sprawling orchestral instrumentals, an innovative swirl of African highlife, American soul, and jazz. Through his music, he shared an anti-colonialist, Pan-African vision and challenged Nigeria’s corrupt military government, which routinely subjected him and those around him to immense harm.”
On Burna Boy who was listed at 197 in the list, the magazine described him as “A Nigerian cultural giant, Burna Boy is the ambassador of Afrobeats as a global movement that can feel equally at home climbing the European charts and maintaining a subtle emotional connection with past African genres like highlife.
“Burna’s voice is sweet like caramel, but it can also soar on slickly produced tracks like his recent megahit ‘Last Last’ or the 2019 gem ‘Anybody’ amped up by deep bass accents and insanely sophisticated polyrhythms. His vocal lines find inspiration in everything from hip-hop and R & B to hooky pop and dancehall. The world is his playground.”
Noticeably missing on the list is Canadian singer, Celine Marie Claudette Dion better known simply as Celine Dion who is often considered by many as one of greatest singers of all time due to her powerful and technically skilled vocals.
Check out the full list here.
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